Unalaska looks toward busy cruise season

UNALASKA (AP) -- Unalaska is looking forward to a busy cruise season, according to tourism officials.

Twelve vessels are planning to stop in Unalaska this summer. That's nearly double the number of ships that stopped last year.

The Northwest Cruise Ship Association said the increased traffic is because three cruise ships are working in Alaska this summer that normally would be in the eastern Mediterranean.

Mya Renken, the executive director of the Unalaska/Port of Dutch Harbor Convention and Visitors Center, said the extra ships probably won't mean more visitors to Unalaska. The biggest ship this summer will hold 940 passengers, unlike the 1,700-person ships that arrived in previous years.

The Seabourne Spirit was the first ship to arrive earlier this month. The high-end cruise ship has a capacity of 204 passengers, but only had 68 people aboard.

''We're waiting to see just how full these ships are going to be,'' said John Hansen, the president of the cruise ship association.